1. Health Benefits and Concerns for Vegetarian Children by Ellen England

2. Introduction  Can a vegetarian diet during childhood support healthy growth and development?  Health Concerns  Nutrient deficiencies  Growth patterns  Health Benefits  Low BMI  Obesity prevention  A well-planned vegetarian diet can support normal growth, and can prevent against obesity

3. Age Appropriate Diet  Children over the age of 2 should consume a diet containing a variety of foods  Breads and grains, meats, fruits and vegetables, and dairy  Diets should be moderately low in fat  Common nutrient deficiencies for children  Calcium, iron, vitamin C and A, folic acid, and vitamin B6  If at risk for nutrient deficiencies standard pediatric multivitamin  Higher risk for calcium deficiency if the child does not consume dairy products  Interferes with bone growth and development

4. Growth of Vegetarian Children: The Farm Study  Aim: to examine how a vegetarian diet affected growth patterns in children (height and weight)  404 vegetarian children, age 4 months to 10 years  Lived in a collective, health conscious community in Tennessee called “The Farm.”  Strict vegetarian (vegan), consumed no meat, dairy or other animal products  Data was measured annually and compared against a reference population

5. The Farm Study – Findings  Measuring 3 categories – height for age, weight for age, weight for height  Growth of Farm children was between 25 th – 75 th percentile of the reference population  The Farm children weighed slightly less for age  Overall growth patterns of the vegetarian children were similar to that of the reference population

6. Vegetarian diets and childhood obesity prevention  Aim: To look at the relationship between vegetarian diets and obesity, especially in terms of childhood obesity  Important to study preventative measures of childhood obesity to prevent obesity during adulthood  If a child is obese at age 6, there is a >50% probability that they will continue to be obese  70-80% of obese adolescents will remain obese as adults  Reviewed various studies on associations between diet patterns and BMI  Vegetarian diet supports lower BMI and smaller waist circumference  Certain foods increased, decreased or had no association with risk for overweight

7. Conclusions  Vegetarian diets can meet the nutritional needs of children and growth of vegetarian children is similar to their omnivorous peers  Necessary to achieve adequate nutrient intake  Planning and monitoring diet  Possible supplements to avoid deficiencies  Children following vegetarian, plant-based diets have lower BMI’s  Promoting vegetarianism as a preventative to obesity  Health weights in children promote better health lifelong

8. Why is this important?  Good nutrition during childhood is crucial for normal development  Important to understand the nutritional guidelines and recommendations  Important for parents to understand risks associated with atypical diets  Malnutrition is not the only concern given the current obesity epidemic  Important to focus on preventing childhood obesity

9. Sources  O’Connell, J.M., Dibley, M.J., Sierra, J., Wallace, B., Marks, J.S., & Yip, R. (1989). Growth of vegetarian children: the farm study. Pediatrics, 84 (3), 475-481. http://web.ebscohost.com.dbprox.slcc.edu/ehost/detail?vid=4&sid=8f136c 9c-334d-4975-8bdf- e9521ed8d5d9%40sessionmgr198&hid=112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3Qtb Gl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=4746300 http://web.ebscohost.com.dbprox.slcc.edu/ehost/detail?vid=4&sid=8f136c 9c-334d-4975-8bdf- e9521ed8d5d9%40sessionmgr198&hid=112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3Qtb Gl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=4746300  Sabaté, J. & Wien, M. (2010). Vegetarian diets and childhood obesity prevention. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 91, 1525S-1529S. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/91/5/1525S.short http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/91/5/1525S.short  Age appropriate diet for children. (2011). National Institute of Health. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002455.htm http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002455.htm